Diplomacy
Passport power
Japan and Singapore now have the most powerful passports in the world – pushing aside previous frontrunner Germany. Citizenship advisory firm Henley & Partners has unveiled its passport power index, which ranks the documents based on how many nations allow its passport carriers visa-free access. The two Asian passports have tied for first place this year, each securing holders access to 180 nations. A similar index released by Arton Capital also put Singapore at the top of its rankings, alongside South Korea. Though imperfect, the rankings indicate which nations are doing well in the diplomatic stakes – and it’s clear that a few of Asia's heavy hitters are doing very well indeed.